Chapter 9
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The smile that had spread out on Raina McCoy's face left as quickly as it came and a groan escaped from her lips as the two akin monsters bounced up and down on her bed.
" Miss McCoy! Miss McCoy! Wake up! It's already morning..! " Emma Addington yelled out as she continued to bounce on the older woman's bed in glee.
Wetting her dry lips, Raina squinted her brown eyes and pulled the twins down with each of her arms. There was still a faint headache on both her temples, reminding her about the events that had taken place the last night.
For the first time ever, she had snapped at Roux Addington and now, she had the rest of her life to be cautious of his next actions.
" Good morning my little Prince and princess ", she brushed both their hairs " Why the unusual greeting? It's Saturday "
" We know Miss Addington, and that is why we came to get you down for breakfast " The little boy grinned at her.
" Breakfast? I don't think I should have breakfast with you three today " She told the children, causing a pout to form on both their faces.
" But why, Miss McCoy? " The younger twin protested and the other followed.
" Well, you see..Miss McCoy is very ill and that's why I can't have breakfast with you three, or you might get sick too "
Asides from that being the reason, her heart seemed to flip on the thought of facing Roux Addington after last night.
" No Missus McCoy, we will not go downstairs without you! " Ethan Addington whined stubbornly as he shook her.
The young boy enjoyed being fed by a woman since Thea Addington never did that and made them eat on their own with a proper etiquette. Raina McCoy gave them some sort of unexplainable independence. They felt carefree.
" Well okay then, you can stay here with me and let the fever monster eat you both. He would be here in a minute, do not say I didn't warn y- " Raina did not get to finish her statement as the children squealed and scurried out of her room causing her to snicker at how bad they fell for her false story.
'Children', she thought to herself before letting out a groan as her headache seemed to increase. That did not stop her from craving some ice coffee.
Forcing herself to climb out of the bed, Raina exited the bedroom and walked into the large closet to pick out her outfit for the day. She choose a simple pair of large sweatpants which she would wear with the hoodie she was already putting on.
Raina was not planning on exiting her bedroom today. With the help of the wall, she treaded into the bathroom like a zombie, praying for some strength to take a quick and warm shower at least.
Some minutes later, Raina McCoy walked out of the bathroom, drying her thick hair and just at the moment, Caldwell Loughty wheeled in a trolley filled with some breakfast and medicine for her.
" Caldwell! ", She called out with a mixture of surprise and excitement, " It's a pleasure to see you this morning. I hope you had a good night's rest "
The older man parked the trolley besides her bed before turning to face her, " I most certainly did, Raina. I heard from Roux that you caught a cold and he requested i bring your breakfast up to your room "
" Roux?! " Raina spluttered with wide eyes. Roux Addington had sent Caldwell up to serve her breakfast despite the disrespect she had shown him last night?
" Yes, Raina. Mister Addington had me serve you breakfast and requested you take your medicine. Is there a problem? "
Caldwell squinted his eyes as he scanned the woman a few feet away from him. She fiddled with her fingers like she was nervous.
" Is there something you are not telling me? Are you possibly in love with Mister Addington? " Caldwell asked and an unladylike snort escaped Raina's nose.
Love? That was impossible. The marriage between them both was a contract and rule ten stated that Party B and Party A were only allowed to wed through paper as preferred by Party A and the marriage between both parties should hold no meaning or feelings.
She surely was not a rule breaker, especially not to a rule like that.
" I can assure you Caldwell, there is no way I would fall in love with such an annoying man " Raina sneered as she recalled the insults he shot at her last night.
" Whatever you say, Raina. How do you feel this morning anyway? " Caldwell Loughty questioned, the smile in his face never falling off, puffing out his rosy cheeks the more.
" A bit better, thank you Caldwell " Her eyes slowly trailed down to stare at the meals that had been stocked into the trolley and covered with golden serving covers.
She could not possibly tell the man to reduce the amount of food he served to her or else he would conclude that she did not enjoy his meals.
It was quite the contrary and it seemed Raina would just have to suck it up and finish whatever amount of meals had been served to her. She could not abuse the privilege of having daily meals for the first time in a very long time.
" You don't need to thank me, I am just doing my job. Roux also had me give you these medicines and you must follow the prescription written on it. I would see you later " Caldwell nodded before exiting the room and shutting the oak doors behind him.
A shaky breath escaped Raina's lips as she dumped the towel into the hamper. Roux Addington had sent Caldwell to cater for her, despite what happened last night.
Did that mean he was not bothered? Had his thoughts about her changed? Or was he more concerned about her not spreading her illness to both him and his children?
She was not sure what the answer to that question was but at the time, see had better things to worry about, like how to finish her breakfast.
After breakfast, Raina picked up the fantasy novel from the library and perched down on one of the plush seats in her room balcony. Halfway through the novel by Susanna Clarke; Jonathan Strange, the sound of footsteps snapped Raina McCoy's attention away from the book in her hands.
The glass doors slid open and in walked Roux Addington with his usual stoic face. He had just returned from work but his appearance seemed he was just leaving. His bouncy curls were still packed up in a neat bun and his pressed suit remained crisp and wrinklefree.
" Mister Addington? " Raina called out in shock before scrambling up from her seat and almost toppling over at the sharp pain that shot up her skull.
Roux Addington held onto her arm and steadied her like she weighed nothing before taking a step back, " I came to check how you were doing but it seems you are doing just fine.." He stated sarcastically and Raina took offence, recalling the words he had said to her last night.
' You do not know anything about me, Mr. Addington so it would be better if you kept your opinion to yourself '
' Well I do know you are a woman with a past, and if i must add- not a pretty one '
The insult caused her heart to clench in agony. Her past was something she despised, loathed even. She hated to talk about it but Roux Addington had brought it up even if he knew nothing about it. He had disrespected her.
" Well it is not any of your business anyway " She huffed and took a sit, picking up her book and diving into the words once again in attempt to ignore him.
" Let it be clear Miss McCoy, I am not concerned about your illness. I only came to make sure you would not be contacting any of my business partners with your sickness tonight " He tossed a small bottle of pills on her thighs before walking away.
Raina's eyes widened and she tossed her book away before scrambling to a standing position, " TONIGHT?! " She yelled after him as he walked away.
" Get dressed Miss McCoy, we have a business party to attend in four hours "
•
Smiles were a perfect mask for truth and Raina McCoy aced it. To the rest of the world, the woman in the shimmering black mermaid dress and her billionaire of a husband were madly in love but they knew better than that.
The flashes of cameras and roaring of reporters reminded Raina of the day of her first ever interview. The day Roux Addington kissed her. Stole her first kiss. Her eyes were blinded by the lights and she sunk deeper into Roux Addington's side. He wasted no time in wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close, her vanilla scent attacking his nose.
Pose for the net.
Raina let out a sigh as they walked into the building and the doors were instantly slammed shut behind them; their security crew nodding in respect before walking away. Roux led Raina further into the massive ballroom and she tried her best to keep her mouth shut.
The walls were massive and high, the corners adorned with vases of the finest plants and flowers. Diamonds dropped from the massive chandeliers and she could bet they were real. Males and Females whisked around the ballroom, dressed in the finest clothing.
Never had Raina McCoy imagined herself in such a luxurious place. The expensive dress she wore still was not able to help her feel like she fit in. At the end, she was still the poor, struggling woman with a past. A runaway.
The company Roux Addington worked for specialized in Green marketing, dealing with the development and sale of environmentally friendly goods and services. It was a risky business, one which required proper scrutiny since it had an influence on people’s health and the state of the environment.
The duo continued to walk around the massive hall, heels clicking against marble tiles when Raina was snapped out of her thoughts as Roux Addington tugged on her arm, leading her towards a group of middle-aged business men and their wives. His business allies.
" Roux! It is such a pleasure to see you here! " One of the men hollered as he handed a glass of wine to Roux Addington from the tray of a passing waiter. Bart Cox; Co-owner of B.A.T.O, a company specializing in crude.
" Pleasure seeing you here also, Bart..and Kirsten " Roux placed a kiss on the back of the older woman's palm. Kirsten Cox, wife of Bart Cox.
" Hello Raina, it is truly a pleasure seeing you here. The papers did your beauty no good " Dominique Corbyn pouted as she pulled Raina into a hug. She was the wife of Jones Corbyn, the second owner of B.A.T.O.
The both men had been friends with George Addington (from when he was still CEO of the Addington Enterprise), alongside the last of the quartet who's son stood in for him tonight due to his blindness. That did not hold the man down either ways.
Raina stood in-between the both women as they gushed to her about the newest gossips in town, making sure to add that Roux Addington had been ranked as one of the hottest billionaires in London once again, followed by Charlie Knight and Tobiah Garfield. The women were old, not mute.
" You look a bit sick, Raina " Dominique piped in, earning the men's attention, " Are we expecting a new set of Addingtons? " The woman wiggled her thin brows as she stared between Raina and Roux who slightly choked on his wine.
" We will see about that " Roux stated flatly and the women cooed as he placed a kiss on the back of her palm. All for the net. Raina's cheeks were hot but fortunately, the shade of her skin gave away nothing.
" Have you both chosen some baby names? " Kirsten chimed in glee and Raina tuned out of their conversation as they suggested some names to Roux Addington. The familiar pang in her heart returned again. She would never get to chose names for babies because Roux and her would not be having any. It was a result of her past and present.
It was all just a contract.
" -oes Harley sound, Raina? For a female! " Kirsten gushed to the inattentive female who offered her a small smile in return.
" Wonderful... "